


Reylo: Star Wars Story - Love is the End

by Vezalay



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Jedi Rey, Kylo Ren Angst, Kylo Ren Redemption, Kylo Ren and Rey Are Not Related, POV Ben Solo, POV Kylo Ren, POV Rey (Star Wars), Protective Kylo Ren, Redeemed Ben Solo, Romance, Romantic Angst, The Force
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 12:02:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13740468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vezalay/pseuds/Vezalay
Summary: Kylo Ren arrives at the interrogation facility on a routine mission but is shocked to find Rey, badly injured. Despite thinking he had moved beyond any feelings for her since her rejection in The Last Jedi, he finds himself facing a decision. Will he do his job or will his identity as Kylo Ren crumble at her feet?





	1. Interrogation

Kylo Ren descended the gangplank of his command ship onto the volcanic soil of Ryloth. The First Order scouts had uncovered a den of rebel fighters holding out in a make shift bunker inside a cave. The terrorists had been extracted and were being prepared for questioning in a local First Order facility.

Ren was arriving on schedule, just as planned, to complete the interrogations. The illogical resistance had gone on long enough; it was time to destroy it once and for all. The Stormtroopers stepped aside with all due deference as Ren made his way through the indistinct facility. The interrogation rooms were filled with rebels already giving up mountains of valuable information. He could hear the interviews progressing as he passed the windowless doors. It was not that he was pleased with the necessity of interrogations, he took no pleasure in it in fact, and it was simply an evil of war. He had grown cold to the horror of it long ago.

"Sir, the subject in 103A is giving us nothing," an officer approached him.

"Do you have reason to believe the subject has valuable knowledge?" Ren asked the officer.

"Yes, sir, she was in possession of certain artifacts that caused us to believe she was part of the Resistance leadership, as well as the location she was found."

Ren's eyes narrowed, "Where was she found?"

"Clinging to the rafters in the cave ceiling, it required amazing strength. That strength is working against us now as we attempt to wear her down." The words were followed by a choking sound as the man felt his throat constrict.

Ren flung the man into the wall behind him rendering him unconscious.

He crossed into the door marked "103a."

"Rey," he cried, Ren's voice breaking uncontrollably. Rey's body was strapped into the examination chair, the tight restraints already turning her flesh purple with bruising. Her head hung off to the side, with wounds already showing on her forehead and cheek.

The technicians were immediately flying into the walls at unspeakable velocity around Ren. He pulled up their lifeless forms with his gloved hands and threw them forcefully into the hall. The door clanged shut behind them.

The restraints popped open as soon as he was close enough to catch her lifeless form as her body was loosened from the chair.

"Rey," he breathed, feeling through the Force for her essence. He had never expected himself to react this way to her again. He had told Luke he would destroy her, he had vowed it to himself. Seeing her though, he knew it was all a lie. What he felt for her couldn't be denied any longer.

Ren could feel her in the Force, but her pulse felt weak and her breathing was irregular. He pulled off his gloves and bent his head low, pressing his forehead against hers, pushing his power through the Force into her weakened body.

She gasped, suddenly pulling in the air her body so desperately needed. He pulled her closer to him, cradling her against his chest and whispering things into her hair, mostly about how sorry he was.

"The others," Rey whispered, her voice was raspy and airy. Ren grimaced a moment, she always thought of her friends first. Without thinking though, he found himself pulling out his comms unit.

"Stop all interrogations," he ordered in a tone that would not be questioned, regardless how unorthodox the order.

Rey lifted her eyes to his, watching him silently, questioning. He shook his head.

"I'm so sorry, Rey," he said unable to meet her eyes. Shame and guilt were destroying him from the inside.

He felt a movement at his side and out of the corner of his vision he saw his own lightsaber fly past, into her waiting hand. She pointed the edge of it toward him. Ren's breath caught in his throat.

His lips pressed together a second, and then tried to form a word but he came up empty.

"Put me down," she said, her voice already slightly stronger. That realization caused a well of relief to pour over him, in spite of her threatening tone.

He placed her onto the cold floor as gently as he could.

She ignited the lightsaber, still eyeing him like a caged animal.

"Open the door," she said, feebly attempting to push herself to her feet.

She wavered slightly and Ren had to resist the urge to reach out to steady her. She must have sensed his idea because she raised her eyebrows challengingly and made of show of aiming the saber at him again.

"Open the door, Kylo," she reiterated.

"Rey, wait, your friends are safe." He shook his head, "Just stop for one minute." His voice was harsher than he wanted it to be.

She eyed the door cautiously.

"It's unlocked," he said flatly.

She watched him closely. A man with no direction left in life.

"Can you stop fighting me, for once?" he asked, attempting to keep his voice even but his frustration bled through.

"That's ironic coming from you, here in this place." She motioned to the interrogation chair and rubbed her leg with her free hand.

"It's over," he said, his voice low.

"Oh, you'll just let me and my friends go, we can just walk out of here without a fight?" she laughed a strained mirthless sound, "You'll order your people to stand down this time?"

"Yes," he said simply.

That seemed to surprise her.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because of you," his voice was husky and hoarse.

"I don't understand," she said, her own emotion charging her words and affecting her voice. Her eyes were wide as she waited for his answer.

"I can't risk hurting you again," he answered softly.

"What?" she asked, her mouth twisting into a pout she was fighting against.

"I love you," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more original short stories visit http://www.allycarson.com


	2. Lack of Trust

~Rey~

"Well, you shouldn't, because I...do not like you." Rey's voice quivered as she finished.

Her wrists ached as the blood flowed back into them, her circulation having been all but cut off by the restraints. Her anger practically turned her vision red as she stared at Kylo.

Maybe there was a time when she would have wanted him to say that, maybe she had even longed for it, but was gone now. She steeled herself against the look in his eyes that threatened to pierce her resolve.

Rey couldn't sense any deception in him, but she was looking at the man who could so conceal his inner most thoughts so as to kill Snoke, while that creature was actively reading his mind. She could never trust him; he was too powerful and too evil.

She felt tears burning her eyes as she looked at him, remembering how she had trusted him once before only to be crushed and heartbroken. Rey was determined that would never happen again.

"Rey," he whispered, clearly seeing he was losing her all over again.

"Get out of my way, please," she said in the firmest tone she could manage in her weakened state, trying to ignore all the aching places in her body and appear stronger than she was.

Kylo's mouth and jaw worked for control, clearly battling overwhelming emotions. Rey's own jaw clinched harder at the sight. Why did it hurt her so much to see him in pain? Her anger toward herself rose in response.

He stepped away, pushing his back against the wall and finally bowing his head.

She was free to go.

Rey was still waiting for the trick. The ploy. The deception.

She moved past him carefully, never relaxing or lowering the lightsaber. His massive frame seemed to dwarf her as she moved by him. His rippling energy reminded her again how improbable it was that she had defeated Kylo so many times already. In the snowy woods of Starkiller Base, in Snoke's throne room...the poor odds of her victory in a fair fight with him nagged at her mind again, as it so often did. The thought occurred to her again that he had been letting her win, but she pushed it out of her mind.

She stopped, only inches from him and looked into his sad, dark brown eyes. She realized instantly that had been a mistake.

"Please don't go, not again," he voice was soft and gentle. The Force between them seemed to crackle a little.

She searched his face, finding her eyes resting on his lips for a moment. Her cheeks warmed suddenly and she hobbled away quickly toward the door, putting some space between them.

"Tell your minions to stand down," she said, her voice dead and devoid of emotions as she stuffed all of her feelings down into the pit of her stomach.

He reached carefully for his comms unit, making sure she understood he wasn't reaching for a weapon. She wasn't sure if he kept a blaster on him anyway, and she was already in possession of his lightsaber, but it never hurt to be cautious.

"We have what we need, these aren't the rebel scum we are looking for, release all detainees immediately." Kylo said into his comm.

Rey's eyes narrowed at the term "scum." If he was trying to make it sound convincing, he was doing well, she thought wryly.

"Yes, Supreme Leader, as you wish," the words sounded disappointed, spoken in the clipped accented of a typical First Order officer.

She turned to go, but his pain was emanating into the Force so strongly that her hand stopped, frozen on the door handle. She looked back at him, suddenly unsure.

His head tilted slightly, perceiving the change inside her. His eyebrows lowered ever so slightly.

"If what you say is true..." She began, but she couldn't even imagine an ending to that sentence. She bit her lip instead of finishing.

He moved infinitesimally closer to her. Rey felt her heartbeat quicken in her chest.

She shook her head, a short, quick jerk that stopped him in his tracks.

"It's true," he whispered, then he added, "Wait."

She turned slowly, afraid he was going to repeat his declaration and she wasn't sure she had the strength to walk away if she heard it once more.

"Could I have my lightsaber back, please?" He asked, his expression hopeful.

She scoffed in answer. Ludicrous.

"Rey, if I had wanted to hurt you I would have done it when you were strapped to that chair," he pointed out.

His words had a certain logic to them she couldn't deny.

After considering for just a moment longer, she stepped toward him with the deactivated lightsaber in her outstretched hand. He flinched unconsciously as she approached.

The movement made Rey pause.

"Oh really, you're afraid I'm going to hurt you?" She asked, offended.

Kylo's faced melted into an ironic half smile, "As much as I would like to think you wouldn't hurt me..."

Rey's eyes widened slightly, seeing afresh the scar on his face that ran into the collar of his shirt. Frustrated, she shoved the lightsaber into his hands. In Rey's haste, her fingers brushed over his and she couldn't help but notice the way his skin felt against hers. She blushed again, flustered by her own reaction, but quickly backed away.

His eyes flashed in recognition, he could read her too easily. The realization made her blush deeper. How did he keep his thoughts so locked down?

"Thank you," he said lifting the lightsaber slightly.

Rey nodded silently and moved toward the door, but her ankle gave out just as she stepped away, an injury incurred when she kicked an unfortunate trooper in the chest an hour ago on the way off the transport vehicle.

Rey gasped in response to the sudden pain and began falling forward.

She felt Kylo's arms around her instantly, grasping her around the waist from behind.

He was holding her so gently, protecting her once again, just as he had protected her against Snoke. She let her hand lift to his as it rested on her abdomen, once again suffering from a heightened awareness of the sensation of his skin against hers. She shifted her weight and caught her balance using her good leg.

"Let me get you medical care," he said from behind her, she could feel his warm breath near her ear. "Let me take care of you, Rey, please."

"I got it now," she said.

Did she just squeeze his hand when she said that? Was she losing all her sense? Had the interrogator injected her with something she hadn't noticed?

No, likely not. She chided herself for her being so easily distracted.

He didn't answer as he hesitantly released her, allowing his fingers to trace around her waist softly as he moved away. Much more touch than was a strictly necessary, Rey decided.

She cursed herself again for the weakness she always seemed to have around Kylo and pulled away from him, suddenly feeling cold in comparison to the warmth of his embrace.

Carefully, she shuffled to the door and pushed it open, glancing back only for the briefest of seconds to see his face before leaving him alone in the room.

She stepped over the two guards in the hall. Finding her friends bewildered by their sudden change in fortune, she immediately led the way out of the disgusting First Order facility without another look back at the man she reminded herself was a murderous snake.

 


	3. The Request

~Kylo Ren~

The journey back to the First Order flagship had been awkward, to say the least. Officers and troopers alike were mired in confusion at Ren's orders but they all knew better than to question him. Whether Hux would show the same restraint was another question.

Ren entered his chamber and as he looked around the room, caught sight of his own reflected image in the mirror. His face, scarred, by Rey's own hand. His skin was white and his nose and ears protruded sharply. He would never mean anything to her.

He was a monster. She had said so herself. He had agreed in anger, yet hoping with everything inside him that she would stop him, correct him, disagree with him. Anything.

She hadn't.

But then Rey had come to him, and he had saved her life from Snoke. Ren wished all over again that he had been strong enough to prevent Snoke from hurting her. He could still hear her cries at Snoke’s despicable hands.

He felt foolish all over again recalling how he had just begged her in the interrogation room to let him take care of her.

In reality, he knew she would probably never need his protection or attention and she would certainly never want it. However, she had awakened a protectiveness in him that he didn't know what to do with.

Ren's agony clouded everything he could see or experience. She had left him again, as she always did. Yet again, he had offered her everything he had, his power, his connection to the Force, his life. She walked away, again, with barely a look back at him. Everything he felt for her, what did she feel? Ren knew she was drawn to him, he felt that in her, saw it in her eyes.

But it wasn't the same as the longing inside him.

With Rey he felt complete, he felt balanced, he felt whole.

For reasons he couldn't even completely understand, he knew his quest for her wasn't over. If she needed proof that he could change, then it was proof he would give her.

Ren sat down on his standard issue First Order bed. Hux may enjoy the high life in his fancy quarters inherited from his father, General Brendol Hux, but Kylo Ren was a simple man. Plain surroundings were as good as any.

He buried his head in his hands, his fingers laced through his dark hair. When he saw Rey, he wanted to become someone noble, someone who could save the galaxy, who never made a mistake along the way. He wished he were someone still pained at the evil of war.

His teeth clinched together against the sting of her rejection, they could have done so much together. They could have been so strong. He wanted to give her everything he had, everything good about himself that was left after all of the mistakes he had made, but he knew she deserved better.

He knew she wanted a family. He could feel it the first time he was near her on Takodana and he could feel it again when he had held her in his arms. Her desire for love emanated off her into the Force so strongly, making it all the more frustrating when she pushed him away.

Ren pulled off his black cloak and set it on the bed beside him. He knew she belonged with him, he longed for her to be by his side. In some sense, he knew she wanted that future too, the one he had seen when they touched through the Force bond, but he had failed her.

Just like everyone else had. He knew he didn't deserve her. He wasn't worthy.

At least not yet, he thought, maybe one day he could be.

So, he started devising a plan.

He'd seen enough of life as the Supreme Leader of the First Order. For so long, he had been determined to achieve the title, the power. But now that he had it, it had become obvious very quickly that without Rey by his side, it was meaningless.

Maybe if he'd never met her he would have felt differently, but their meeting felt fated somehow, as if it was always meant to happen. Now that he loved her, now that he'd been close to her, he knew he had to do everything in his power to be with her.

After that, as vulnerable as it left him, he had to let her decide. She was brave and beautiful and strong and everything he was not.

Then, without warning, her voice filled his ears:

"You said I was nothing."

He looked up at her in dismay, she stood in front of him there in his quarters, a Force projection. He dropped his head into his hands again. If only she could read his mind and see everything she really was to him.

"That is not what I meant, you have to know it's not what I meant." He sighed when she didn't respond, "I meant you weren't a Skywalker or a...Kenobi like the Jedi my mother and uncle always talked about."

He hesitated only a moment before he looked up at her again.

"I saw your embarrassment about your past, I was trying-and failing-to make the point that, whoever you were or wherever you came from, it didn't matter to me."

"Hmm," the corner of her mouth turned up slightly.

He sighed sadly but resigned, those words were yet another way he had hurt her.

"Why are you here?" He asked, attempting to change the subject. Since Snoke's death, they had both learned to control the mind bridge. Snoke had been manipulating the timing but he hadn't created the connection, and without him present, they were each able to control it quite easily. That wasn't to say they spoke often.

She stood motionless and watched his eyes.

"I need..." she paused, averting her eyes from his, in what he perceived as embarrassment, "I need your help."

He stood to his feet, "What is it?"

"Remember my ankle?" Her frustrated voice asked.

He looked down realizing for the first time her leg was wrapped in some sort of primitive bandage. Ren dropped to his knees to inspect it more closely.

"May I?" he asked.

She nodded reluctantly, watching him closely.

Carefully, he unwound the bandage wrapped around her foot and lower leg. The swelling was more severe than he had been expecting and the bruising was intense. He grimaced, "It might be broken, do you have medical facilities?"

He returned to his feet, after carefully replacing the ineffective bandages with as much care and attention as he dared. Despite the fact that she only allowed it due to her injury, and though it was only through the Force, it was intoxicating being able to touch her.

"No, we don’t have medical care, not here...well, not anywhere." She sighed, "You might find this difficult to believe but people in this galaxy aren't lining up to help rebel fighters right now. We are running low on supplies." Her voice was soft.

"Where are you? I'll come get you." He offered, a little too eagerly, he groaned inwardly.

She gulped slightly, "You won't get all of us this time, they left me here, alone. It seemed safest."

"They left you?" He asked incredulously. It was exactly the behavior he expected from those thugs.

"We knew you might come and you might bring...troopers. At least this way I'm just risking myself." She lifted her chin defiantly.

"Rey, I told you..." he shook his head, no time for all that again now, "Just tell me where you are."

"I'm on Jakku, I'm back home." She whispered.


	4. Jakku

~Rey~

The crashed AT-AT had been scavenged in Rey's absence. It was to be expected, she knew that. Everything of value was gone. She didn't much care, whoever took the items likely needed them far more than she did now, especially if she had just made a horrible mistake and Kylo Ren was on his way there to kill her. Then she didn't need any of it.

A few of Rey's most sentimental items were exactly where she had left them. Which made sense, a homemade Rebel pilot doll wasn't of any use to anybody on Jakku. She picked it up and set it in her pack. The bed had been stripped of the pillow but the mattress remained, apparently too bulky or too worthless to bother hauling away. She spread out her cloak on the dusty surface and laid down.

Elevating her traitorous leg was probably wise and she was still emotionally recovering from seeing Kylo.

Finn hadn't been pleased with the plan. Leaving her in the desert alone to wait for their enemy seemed ridiculous. She reminded him that Kylo had let them out of the interrogation facility without a fight. She didn't actually think that proved he was trustworthy, but what she had told Kylo had also been true, nobody was willing to help them. Since Crait, the Resistance had been short handed and poorly supplied. Since Leia died, matters had turned infinitely worse as she was the last Resistance member with any diplomatic ties.

Rey sighed with resignation. That was most likely why Kylo had let them all go. It's not exactly like the misfit band if rebels were a force to be reckoned with anyway.

Rey closed her eyes against the thought of what might be ahead for her. She was fairly certain multiple bones were broken in her foot and leg. The chance that he would help her as he had offered was the last she had left.

Finally, mercifully, in spite of the pain and anxiety, sleep claimed her.

Rey was jolted awake by the clanging of a broken moisture vaperator falling to the ground at the door of the AT-AT. In her sleepy haze, she had forgotten she had placed it there as an alarm system against unwanted visitors. Her hand reached for her bow staff, but she would have been much too slow if the visitor's intentions were of a malicious nature.

The sun was just starting to rise and the light was still hazy. Rey could just see the outline of Kylo as he looked around her old home, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. She was certain he could sense her but he hadn't seen her yet.

"Are you going to try to take me captive?" She asked him, giving away her position and getting the main question out in the open. There was really no cause to beat around the bush.

He ducked under the overhead obstacles reminding Rey how tall he was as he made his way over to her.

"No, no of course not," he said as he got to her, kneeling beside the bed, "Rey..."

Rey pursed her lips to the side and dropped her head back to the pillow, the pain in her leg had worsened overnight.

"I told you, it's over...chasing the Resistance, we are going to do things a different way." He continued.

Rey couldn't help but smile at his earnest expression, his eyes had that dark brown innocence in them she imagine they must have contained as a young boy.

"So you are aren't going to take me back to the First Order and publicly execute me to use as holonet propaganda?" She asked.

"That's very descriptive. Wait, are you..." He paused, something in her eyes caught him, a twinkle?

"Are you joking right now?" he asked.

Rey smiled just a little.

"Ok, you are joking." He shook his head, a hesitant smile shaping his features.

"But actually, I am relieved you didn't say, 'yes.'" Rey admitted, let the joke slip away.

He shook his head, his expression turning earnest again, but then looking around her dimly lit home again said, "But...if I was going to capture you and take you back to the First Order, would I have told you the truth just then?" His face turned to hers.

Was he actually worrying about her gullibility for the future? She realized just how close he was to her then, kneeling beside the head of her bed.

"Do you lie often, Kylo?" She asked, thinking about something else entirely.

"No...and never to you." He said quietly; his face was serious, and close to hers.

Very close.

"Did you bring a medical droid?" She changed the subject to the matter at hand, hoping to calm the wildly beating heart inside her chest.

"Yeah, it's in my ship." His eye caught on something on the wall, "Did you mark the days? Every day?"

Rey blushed deeply, suddenly embarrassed, "I was marking time."

Kylo turned back to her, sadness reaching his brown eyes. It looked to Rey as if he could somehow see all the days she spent alone in this run down pile of junk and felt the weight of it himself.

"Let's get you out of here," he shifted his weight to his heels and offered her his hand, she noticed his gloves were nowhere to be seen.

She looked at his hand for just a second, thinking about what her life would have been like if she had taken his hand when it was offered the first time.

Without looking at his face, because he seemed to be excelling at his mind reading skills whenever she looked at him, she grabbed her pack, took his hand and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The fact that she could feel her heartbeat in her ankle seemed like a bad sign.

Rey took a fortifying breath and put some weight on her legs to stand up. Even with Kylo taking some of her weight with his hand and providing balance, it was excruciating. Tears instantly sprung into her eyes.

"Oh, Rey," he groaned as he moved to her side and slipped an arm around her waist, "Why didn't you let me get you help sooner?"

"It wasn't this bad."

That, and she wasn't sure if she could trust him, but she left that part out of her answer.

Together, they took a step toward the door.

Rey gasped in pain.

Without hesitation, Kylo pulled the hand he was in possession of, around his neck and lifted her into his arms. She would have protested being carried in this way, so close to him, so intimately, but even she saw the practicality of the arrangement. Her leg was severely injured and the main objective was getting her to the medical droid.

She was also distracted by the way his hair curled slightly around her fingers. His hair was very soft, she hadn't expected that. Then she blushed with the realization that she had actually imagined what his dark hair might feel like on a few occasions. She avoided looking at him hoping he wouldn't notice everything going on behind the placid mask she wore just then.

The sun was growing hotter and brighter as they exited the AT-AT. Kylo didn't show any signs of tiredness as they crossed to his ship, she noticed. It wasn't very far, but still.

The ramp to his ship was already down so he climbed easily aboard and deposited her on a long bench where she could keep her leg elevated.

Kylo disappeared into the bowels of the ship but re-emerged just a minute later, a medical droid following behind him with a case, presumably filled with supplies, following remotely on a repulser cart just behind.

The droid looked Rey over systematically.

"The subject is presenting with a severely injured leg, multiple fractures are likely in the foot and ankle joint."

Rey had suspected as much.

Kylo took the opportunity to ask under his breath, "How hard did you kick this guy?"

Rey rolled her eyes at him.

"Can you take care of it?" She asked the droid, at which point the droid's bedside manner programming seemed to kick in.

"Unfortunately not, I'm afraid," it shook what constituted its head, "This injury is much too severe for my limited capabilities, please seek a full medical facility for treatment."

Rey exhaled sharply. Finn's biggest concern had just been realized. It had been difficult enough to convince him to leave, he would kill her himself if he ever found out she had gone back to a First Order ship with Kylo Ren.

The droid administered a pain reliever and left them alone.

Rey lifted her eyes to Kylo, fear creeping into her heart unbidden. He sensed it in her immediately.

"Rey, please don't be scared." He knelt in front of her again, "I'm not going to take you to a First Order military hospital."

Her eyes widened.

"There is a private hospital on Coruscant, really...fancy, lots of wealthy clientele. They'll be able to take care of this." Kylo said.

She breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Kylo moved to stand but hesitated a second, shifting ever so slightly closer to Rey. He lifted his hand to her hair, and gently coaxed a few wayward strands away from her face. Kylo's face was gentle and calm and the words he had spoken only days before seemed to hang in the air as he gazed into her hazel eyes. But Rey's rapidly beating heart was in turmoil as suddenly, she couldn't help wondering what it would be like for him to move in even closer.

"You know, I didn't mean you were nothing. You could never be." He began stammering as he continued, "Maybe the whole galaxy didn't know who you were...maybe they will one day, or maybe they won't, but...but for me, everything is you now."

Rey's lips parted ever so slightly.

He watched her a moment longer, waiting for her to respond but her voice failed her as her eyes traveled over his face and she searched for his feelings through the Force.

As suddenly as the moment began though, it ended. Kylo broke away from her, "I'll set a course for Coruscant," he said as he stood to walk to the cockpit.

Rey realized she'd been holding her breath.


	5. Coruscant

~Kylo Ren~

Ren took the ship into orbit above Jakku and programmed the course to Coruscant. The calculations took a few minutes; he wanted to avoid First Order star destroyers, for a while anyway.

Once everything was set, he engaged the program and the ship launched easily into light speed. There wasn't much to do at that point other than wait for the auto pilot to alert when it was time to leave hyperspace, but that wouldn't be for a while.

He picked up his datapad from the console and pulled up the draft of his order again. Everything seemed right, but it was impossible to anticipate every scenario. He gave a resigned sigh and with a trembling hand, hit send.

He set the datapad back down on the console and leaned his head against the high seat back. Rey was in the cabin resting. He could feel her through the Force, calming down as the drug from the med droid began to kick in, numbing her pain.

Ren shot another look toward the datapad. It would probably be a few more minutes before the responses started pouring in, but he wasn't eager to see them. He stood to his feet and moved back toward the cabin area of the ship where Rey was sitting and looking somewhat bored.

She glanced up when she heard him walk into the room. He couldn't read her expression; the emotions in the Force around her felt pleasant enough but contained an underlying nervousness.

_She is probably still concerned the whole thing is all a trap_. He thought with the frustration and sadness welling up inside him.

"When we get to Coruscant, I need you to be cautious and stay close to me," He began, "You'll be safe in the hospital but, when we arrive and leave we need to be a little bit careful."

"Because you can't be seen with me…by certain...people?" She guessed with a patronizing look on her face.

"No," Ren shook his head, a little confused. "Because Hux has a bounty out for you, and you aren't exactly in fighting shape, at least not right now."

"A bounty?" She repeated, and then grumbled, "Lieutenant Connix was right."

Ren's eyes narrowed slightly, "It should be fine, and if a bounty hunter were to see you with me they would probably assume the offer was cancelled anyway, but we just need to be cautious."

She groaned in reply.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

There was a moment of awkward silence, Kylo could sense her indecision but he didn't want to push her.

Slowly, he stood to his feet, "I need to go work on some...things."

Rey nodded silently.

Ren returned to the cockpit. The datapad was lit up with responses to his communication. Hux had responded first as Ren expected.

His message read:

_You can't be serious, Ren. Such a move would throw the galaxy into chaos. Allow me to send out an update on your distinguished behalf. I'll say the communications system was hacked. It will give you time to rethink this._

Hux didn't seem as angry as Ren had been expecting, but then also, it was only his first move. Hux would inevitably be plotting a long game.

The other messages from leaders of various worlds in the galaxy conveyed surprise; shock even, but nothing too alarming yet. The first test would be once they arrived on Coruscant. He had picked out the hospital for being known as one of the best and for accepting private payment, but the clientele wasn't just rich, it was elite and powerful, well connected. The mood there would be his first indication of how his new plans for the galaxy were received.

...

"We're here," he said as he walked through the cabin to help Rey to the door. He noticed her pack sitting on the floor and reached to pick it up. Just as he touched it, a rough, clearly handmade doll rolled out onto the floor. The makeshift child's toy was ragged and worn; it was clothed in an orange, historic rebel fighter pilot uniform.

Rey let out a breath when she saw what had happened.

Ren picked it up reverently and placed it on top of the other items in her pack.

He felt tears burning at the back of his eyes but clamped them down. He forced himself to look back to Rey and ask, "Are you ready?"

Pretending as of nothing had happened was easier than remarking on her childhood toy that she had most likely just picked up at her old home. It was like the scratch marked calendar on the wall, intimate and private. Those were things from her past that he didn't need Force sensitivity to know she didn't feel comfortable sharing with him.

The hospital was equipped with wheel chairs for incoming patients. Ren would have been more than happy to lift Rey into his arms once again, allowing her arm to circle around his neck as it had before. But he reminded himself it would be better for him if he kept his distance from her. Watching her leave would be all the more painful for having been close to her. Practically anyway, it was better to have his hands free, in case he needed to grab his lightsaber to fend off a bounty hunter. In reality, it wouldn't matter to his heart, if he carried her or not, he was desperate for her love, regardless of where she was in the galaxy.

He wished he could have been more focused on Rey as they moved through the hospital. So many people assumed it was an appropriate time to greet the newly minted Supreme Leader that he left her all but alone navigating the process. She seemed just fine though, he noticed; her fierce independence drew him in even more as he watched her. Very few people noticed Rey and even fewer recognized her as the girl with rumored Jedi powers who had been suspiciously near Snoke at the moment of his untimely demise.

Politics had never come easily to Ren, but he could tell the air was jubilant around him in a way that he had never felt around Snoke. Assuming the expression was true, and news really did travel as fast as a pod racer on Tatooine, the response to his new order was getting high marks from the rich and powerful.

At last, he entered the room where the med droids were caring for Rey's leg. She was reclined on a slanted table watching them work.

He moved to her side, "How is it?"

"It's going well," she answered, sparing him only a quick glance as she monitored the ongoing procedure. "The doctor said they can take care of most of it today, but they want me back in two days to make sure the bones healed properly. I should be able to walk today...but he mentioned something about not kicking anybody else for a while."

She turned to smile at him then; a sight that made him feel like the sun had just risen around him.

…

Ren supported Rey's elbow gently as she crossed from the elevator into her room. It was probably unnecessary, but he felt safer that way and she didn't seem to mind.

At her door, he stopped and motioned to a room a little way down the hall, "I'll be over there if you need anything."

Rey looked at the door and then glanced at him, "I know how to get in touch with you."

A hint of a smile crossed her soft features. She was so close to him there in the doorway, it was everything he could do to keep from reaching for her and pulling her closer to him still.

She looked away from him then and he helped her cross to a comfortable looking couch, settling her down gently. A protocol droid supplied by the hospital was already busy preparing the space for her stay.

Ren lingered for just a moment, he knew it would never matter how much she cared for him. He would always love her, even if she never returned his affection. He smiled faintly at her, the realization crossing his heart.

He turned to go.

"Ben," Rey called just as he turned, "Wait."

His name, his real name, not "Kylo," was on her lips. She hadn't used that name since she begged him not to stay in the darkness in Snoke's throne room.

He looked at her, his heart melting into softness again for everything she was. Slowly, he sat down beside her.

"Thank you," she whispered; her depthless hazel eyes boring into his.

He nodded slightly, "You called me 'Ben.'"

Rey bowed her head, "Sorry, I...I forget sometimes how much you hate that."

He lifted his hand to her face, lightly brushing his fingertips against her cheek. Slipping one finger under her chin and gently coaxing her face up toward his.

She looked at him again, but her eyes searched his face for a moment, not meeting his eyes. He could see the color touching her cheeks, matching the heat rising inside him.

"Rey," he said softly, "I don't...hate it when you call me 'Ben.'"

She met his gaze then, a spark lit somewhere inside her eyes.


	6. Please don’t Leave

~Rey~

"Your leg appears to be completely healed of its injury," the medical droid informed her in a pleasant tone, "Please do not hesitate to return here if any follow up is required."

The droid rolled away on its spherical base, leaving Rey and Kylo Ren alone in the examination room. For a moment, neither one spoke. Rey knew the moment had come to return to her normal life, but after everything that had happened, what was that supposed to look like?

"Thank you again," she said, not risking a look toward Ben.

"Of course, you're welcome," he answered.

"I feel bad that you took all this time, for me." She paused, "I'll get out of your way now, I'm sure you must be busy."

She refused to think of what he would be doing when he left, she didn't want to think of him that way anymore. Everything was so impossible.

She swung her legs down from the table and onto the floor, hopping down. Ben was there, too close. He reached to steady her, a hand on either side of her waist.

Their eyes met and they endured an awkward silence as he quickly released her and took a step back.

"Could you stay? For a few hours?" He asked, his voice eager and pleading.

She blinked a few times, not understanding.

"I guess. I didn't set a meeting time yet with Finn," she answered, unsure.

Ben's jaw clinched for just a second at that name before he nodded.

"I have something I need you to see...a meeting. Please come." He didn't seem to be able to form complete sentences.

She nodded silently.

...

The hall was the largest room Rey had ever seen, in the largest building she had ever entered. She stood in a booth surrounded by a short wall. The booth was high in the arena, able to overlook the multitude of species that had gathered. The crowd was enormous, sitting in hundreds of levels, creating a large cylinder audience. Ben walked into the booth beside her. Through the open door, she could see the private balcony overlooking Coruscant.

"This is amazing," she told him. "What is this?"

Ben smiled faintly, "This is something new, well...something that hasn't happened in a long time."

She tilted her head slightly at his evasive answer.

"You'll see," he nodded once.

The meeting was called to order with a system of lights installed overhead and in each booth. Rey and Ben sat down in the little booth alone. A man in a red robe introduced delegates from various worlds. Speaker droids buzzed about, allowing various people to speak. Species that Rey had never seen before were greeting each other as long lost friends.

Finally, the man wearing the red robe introduced Ben as the Supreme Leader.

She watched him rise to his feet and couldn't completely contain the feeling of pride she felt when she watched him take the room captive with his eloquent greeting. She immediately chastised herself, he wasn't really hers to be proud of, but she couldn't help it.

"Distinguished delegates of worlds throughout the galaxy, I welcome you to the first meeting of the New Republic." Ben said.

Rey drew in a sharp breath, every possibility charging into her mind like wild animals suddenly set free.

"I am announcing today that order has been brought to the galaxy and as such, we are prepared to reduce the military might of the First Order to ten percent." He continued, "We are not an occupying force."

A murmur passed over the crowd.

"Each world must rule themselves, each world must elect its own representatives to send to this body, the New Senate."

Rey covered her mouth with a trembling hand, emotions tumbling over her as she watched Ben turning over his power to the people of the galaxy. He turned to look at her then.

"Ben," she whispered.

A soft smile touched his features, just for a second before he turned back to the crowd.

"The First Order will become a peace keeping force, to be called in only at the request of the Senate. From this day forward, we will begin to transition power back to the people of this galaxy."

Ben bowed his head.

The crowd responded immediately with a roar of a cheer, many leaping to their feet in enthusiasm.

Rey suppressed a sob that caught in her throat. The man in red resumed control of the gathering and Ben took a few steps back.

Rey couldn't restrain her emotions any longer. She bolted to her feet and ran to the door to the private balcony. Sinking into a soft couch, she buried her face in her hands and let the tears fall down freely. Everything the Resistance had fought for, everything Leia had believed in; it was happening.

She felt more than heard Ben step onto the balcony behind her. She wiped the tears off her cheeks and attempted to gather herself together.

Ben sat down on the couch beside her quietly, a safe distance away, but never taking his eyes off her. Rey looked up at him, smiling through the last of her tears.

"That was...that was good, Ben," she nodded at him a moment before looking down at her hands in her lap.

"Rey," he said, after a moment, his voice was low, "Rey, please look at me."

She closed her eyes and shook her head.

He slid down and knelt in front of her, resting a hand on the couch at either side of her legs. His eyes were even with hers.

"Nobody has ever said that to me before," she said, her voice quieter, as he was so close.

His eyes narrowed, confused, "Nobody has ever said...what to you?"

"That you love me," she was whispering now, "Is it true?"

He picked up her hand in his and pulled it to his lips.

"Nobody ever told you that?" He asked quietly, still holding her hand.

She shook her head no, just a small motion.

"Of course it's true, I would tell you all the time," He said softly, pressing his lips to her hand again, tears swimming in his eyes. "If you would let me."

She didn't move, never letting her eyes leave his.

The silence stretched between them for what felt like an eternity.

"I love you, Rey," his voice was husky and deep, filled with trembling emotion.

She couldn't stand the distance between them any longer, suddenly overcome with a need to be near him. She slid off the sofa, it was clumsy and awkward as she fell into his lap, but it didn't matter. Ben was reaching for her just as quickly, catching her as she fell, gathering her into his arms and pulling her close to him.

She touched his face, letting her fingertips tangle in his soft, dark hair. He leaned toward her, slowly, still giving her every opportunity to back away, or stop him. He lowered his head close to hers and pressed his lips against hers softly, just for a second.

Rey was overwhelmed with the feeling of his essence emanating into the Force around her, overcome with how strong it was when he held her so close.

"Rey," Ben whispered. He searched her eyes, misreading everything there, and as if suddenly afraid he should never have kissed her, he said, "I'm so sorry."

Before he could act on his fear though, Rey was pulling him back, leaning into him and tugging him closer, until her lips collided with his. He responded instantly, kissing her just as passionately, just as deeply.

The world seemed to disappear around them. All of the desperate longing they felt for each other clashing in a violent wave as they held each other close, locked in a fervent embrace.

At last, she pulled away from him, resting her forehead against his, not ready to completely give him up.

"Rey, please don't leave this time.” Ben whispered.


	7. Hux

~Ben~

Ben felt a tremor shake him deep in his soul as he breathed in her scent and relished her essence in the Force all around him. He pulled her closer still, one hand smoothing her hair as they sat in peaceful silence together on the impossibly high balcony.

"I've doubted whether I possessed the strength to leave you from the moment I opened my eyes and saw you on Tatooine." She confessed, her face pressing into his shoulder to hide her blush.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He asked, against her hair, thinking of the misery he had endured over the past several days.

"How could I? Everything was so impossible…it's still so impossible." She pulled away from him far enough to look into his eyes.

"Had you given up all hope in me?" Ben asked sadness filling his voice.

"No," Rey whispered, "I always hoped."

...

The crowds pressed against them from all sides as they maneuvered through the main hall of the government complex. Ben held Rey's smaller hand in his, her fingers lacing together with his like they belonged there. He hadn't held anybody's hand since he was a young boy. There was something intimate about it that he hadn't anticipated. The small physical connection made it seem like it was just the two of them, together, even if the entire world were pushing in around them.

Finally, back in the hotel, Rey stepped into her room, Ben waited at the door hesitantly. His things were already loaded onto his ship.

"I could drop you off," he offered quietly. It was a play to buy them more time, to buy him more time with her but he knew she would never accept.

"If my friends saw your ship or you..." she shook her head, "People could get hurt."

Ben nodded, she was right of course.

"You could just send a communication," his voice drifted off, they'd covered that idea already too. He couldn't stop himself from offering again though.

"They need to hear this from me," she said once more, as she had before.

"Where are you meeting Finn?" He asked, his voice was low; he was all out of ideas.

She had her pack slung over her shoulder and was walking toward him, "I swore I wouldn't give any of their positions away, I have to keep that promise, even if...things changed."

He looped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. Just the feeling of her near him sent a jolt of electricity through his very core.

He kissed her forehead, pressing his lips against her skin for a moment. She was precious to him and he was not ready to relinquish her to the ruffians she called friends just yet.

"You aren't making this easy," she whispered, tilting her face up.

He shook his head slowly, closing the distance between them. He had no intention of making it easy. She hadn't left yet, there was still time.

"Maybe you could change your mind," he whispered just as his lips were about to touch hers, gazing into her glowing, expectant eyes.

"I can't, Ben," she said softly.

Ben could feel the sting of rejection stab into his heart; he resisted the urge to quell the pain with anger, which would only lead to the dark side. He turned away from her though, not wanting to mire the memory of her kiss with all of the agony he was experiencing in that moment.

Rey followed him slowly as he moved into the hallway. He didn't want to look back at her, he could feel her disappointment for the lost kiss that would never be.

He pushed the button in the elevator to take them to the docking level where Rey would board a ship to some unknown system.

The elevator trip wouldn't take long and he felt the urgent rush to say something, anything, some words that would make her return to him. In the end, he came up empty.

"I'm afraid you won't come back," he said, finally meeting her eyes.

"Of course I will," she said stepping closer to him.

"They will talk you out of it." He shook his head dismissively.

"They can't, Ben," she took his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together.

Her touch made everything so much more intense, his pain amplified tenfold. He searched her eyes, "Please, don't go."

"I have to," she said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

He nodded just as the doors were opening to the docking bay, releasing her hand.

...

Ben pulled his comm unit away from the port, the credits were transferred. Rey would have to return the ship within four standard days or he would lose his deposit and end up buying the craft. That was the least of his worries.

He was trying not to think about everything that could go wrong with this plan and focus on the way she had just whispered, "I'll see you soon," into his ear a few seconds before.

He could still feel the sensation of her warm breath against his ear.

He waited for another cruiser to leave before turning to his own ship that was parked nearby. The gangplank was lowering as he approached but the sight at the top of the rise was an unwelcome one.

Hux.

He stood flanked by two Stormtroopers, one on either side. His pale skin shone brilliantly against the dark interior of the ship.

Ben strode easily up the gangplank to meet them, cloaking his dread with an air of confidence.

"What are you doing here?" Ben didn't bother with pleasantries; he and Hux were well beyond the point of such frivolities.

Hux responded in kind, "I'm as ascertaining for myself that the real, actual Kylo Ren is here on Coruscant, presuming to command my army."

"We've been over this General," Ben responded, looking past Hux into the ship, his bags still resided on the bench where he had left them although he was certain Hux had combed through them with his pale little hands. The thought sent a shiver of panic down Ben's spine, despite his outward calm.

Then Hux brought his hand around from behind his back. The handmade doll was dangling from his fingertips.

Ben clinched his jaw involuntary as he glanced at the toy swaying side-to-side gently. Rey had given it to him only the day before, he had known he would have to hide it, but he didn't care at the time. Now however, he wished he had declined the gift.

"A souvenir?" Hux asked, eyeing him amusedly.

"A gift from a local child, who clearly didn't understand the significance of the orange jumpsuit." Ben answered smoothly.

Hux nodded, "If that...local child, was a beautiful scavenger from the rotting planet of Jakku, I would hazard a guess she did know the significance, Ren."

Ben took a step closer; his fingers were tingling to feel the smooth, cool metal of his lightsaber.

"Oh well, no matter," Hux continued, "I had her followed, just in case...a precaution mainly." His voice oozed with honey.

"You followed her?" Ben asked.

"Yes, that was our crew that left just now, right before you walked over here," Hux smiled his vile, treacherous, sneer-like expression.

 


	8. Dagobah

~Rey~

Rey took the ship out of Coruscant's atmosphere before punching in the course for Dagobah. The small, rented craft wasn't equipped with light speed so it would take a little time. It was just as well, she needed to get some rest anyway. The medications had been taxing on her body and she had spent so much time sipping caff and chatting with Ben, that she hadn't allowed herself much time for sleep.

The bunk wasn't luxurious, but it was clean. She used her pack as a pillow and closed her eyes.

Her mind wandered back to Ben as it always seemed to do. The look in his eyes when she'd left him just a few moments before hung in her mind. He'd looked so sad and alone. She knew all about being alone and she hated to see him that way.

There was so much work he had to do, she'd seen his schedule for the day. He was booked solid with meetings but sometimes it was possible to be surrounded by people and still feel alone. She knew that he would have preferred her to be there with him, and not flitting across the galaxy with a ragtag band of rebels.

This will only take a day or two, and then we'll be together again, she thought.

The next thing she knew, the console was beeping an alert. She had fallen asleep. Rey pulled herself drowsily out of the bunk and moved to the cockpit.

It was time to make a descent into Dagobah. She wiped across her eyes with the back of her hand to clear the sleep away and sat down in the pilot's seat. Finn had insisted she memorize the coordinates so she scanned the planetary read out for a moment and easily made her landing. She could see the base a short way off but she wouldn't have to walk the whole way alone. Finn was already walking towards her.

The sight of him twisted her stomach into a hard knot. She knew what she was about to tell him sounded improbable, impossible even. Somehow she had to make him understand it was true. Then she would plant the seed that would eventually lead to all of the rebels putting down arms and returning to their homes to begin the quest to find diplomatic solutions to their problems.

...

The conversation with Finn had been much rockier than she had anticipated, which was saying something because she had expected it to be rough.

After she had said her piece though, Finn stared at her like she had lost her mind. Slowly, he started shaking his head.

"No, Rey," he lifted a single finger toward her, "I told you this was a bad idea. He plays tricks in people's minds, he manipulated you with the dark side of the Force."

Rey dig the toe of her boot into the soft muddy soil for a moment, while He stammered to a stop.

"He's changed, watch the holonets. Finn, the speech was real." She pleaded.

"It's a trick; we never should have trusted him." He turned away from her and rubbed his head a moment.

"My leg was broken in numerous places, he helped me get it taken care of, and he's not the man he used to be." She said softly.

"I knew him, ok? I watched him order the deaths of an entire village of civilians on Jakku! Rey! It could have been you!"

Rey bit her lip, fighting back the tears. Finn had never yelled at her before.

"I'm sorry, you don't like this," she said, "But I didn't choose this, I wasn't looking to start something with him." She wiped her tears away with the heel of her hand quickly. "It just happened, I can feel him, all the time, when I'm close to him, I hear his thoughts, and I see him...you have no idea, Finn. I see him, from across he galaxy, he's not who you think he is, not anymore. He's kind, and he's sweet and he loves me."

There was no point wiping the tears anymore, there were too many to catch.

"That monster isn't capable of loving anybody." Finn said in a whisper, so angry that his voice gave out.

He backed away from her, shaking his head again and turning away like he was too angry to even look at her.

Rey wiped her face with her sleeve, aching more than ever for the comfort of Ben's embrace.

...

"We hear you," Lieutenant Connix raised a hand to stop Rey, signaling she had heard enough.

The small band of Resistance leadership was gathered around the blue neon display panels laid out in a circle as usual. Rey stood across from Connix, staring blankly.

"But didn't you see his speech?" Rey asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Rey, we did," Connix sighed.

Poe broke in, "We also know that this is an old trick used by the empire a few times as well. Promise people self-governance, promise a drawdown of forces...it lures rebels out of their hiding places and then the change never materializes and good people get captured and killed."

Rey shook her head, "That's not was this is."

Finn took a deep breath. Rey had edited her presentation slightly for the large group of rebel leadership, carefully leaving out any mentioned of Ben in fact, loving her and wanting to change his life. Finn knew, and she was regretting her decision to tell him deeply just then.

It was a vital bit of information, so without sounding to lovelorn she began, "I have reason to believe he has changed, I don't believe this is a trick."

Connix started to say something but was distracted by a ping coming from the panel in front of her.

"You're sure you didn't give away your landing coordinates?" she asked, her voice strained.

"No, I filed a fake flight plan." Rey was becoming exasperated, for all the good this trip had done, she might as well have stayed on Coruscant with Ben.

"Well, a ship with a First Order signature was just picked up on sensors dropping out of orbit and heading this way." Connix whipped out a comms unit from her jacket pocket, "All units prepare for evacuation on my order this is not a drill, possible compromise underway."

Rey watched, frozen in place as the room around her melted into an organized chaos as tech was dismantled and equipment stowed into ready containers.

Finn was at her side in an instant.

Her eyes met his, "I don't understand." She whispered.

He took her arm, "It's ok. We'll figure it out. Let's go."

He pulled her into a run with him, she didn't stop until the humid air hit her as the exited the complex doors.

"Wait, Finn," she pulled her arm free of his grasp, "I don't want to run. You go."

Finn looked for a moment like he was considering carrying her farther but he pulled his blaster out if its holster instead.

"Thank you," she squeezed his hand for a quick second. Then she ran towards the sound of engines powering down.

A First Order officer was descending the ramp just behind a Stormtrooper. Each man was brandishing a large blaster. Rey ducked behind a tree, grateful for cover while she attempted to devise a plan she had to buy the rebels time. From the corner of her eye she saw Poe sliding into a couched position near a tree as well.

He looked at her, she could see him sigh slightly as his lips pressed together into a thin line. She knew he blamed her but she didn't have time to think about that just then.

Suddenly, Poe was running, she knew he was depending on her to provide cover, so she started laying down fire as soon as the men noticed him hurtling toward them.

The Stormtrooper went down right away but the officer jump off the ramp to the side, possibly injured, but covered by foliage and the angle of the ramp. Rey started running, skirting the edge of the clearing where they landed. If the officer was still in fighting shape he was probably gaining a position to fight back.

Blaster fire.

She heard Poe's grunt. He was holding his arm but still running, the shot had just grazed him. The officer had given away his position however and Rey fired as easy shot at the man's upper thigh, taking him down.

Poe was close enough while the man was still in shock to snatch his blaster away. Rey was a few steps behind, she crouched on the ground by the officer.

"You're too late," the officer breathed, evidently pleased with himself, "The entire fleet is on their way here now. We signaled them your coordinates before we landed." Rey shot a glance at Poe, it was all the confirmation they needed. It was time to evacuate. Poe nodded to her once and took off in a run toward the base.

Rey pushed herself up, away from the officer, the blaster still gripped in her fingers. She didn't want to kill, he was unarmed at wounded and no longer a threat.

"Tell me, scrapper," he smiled weakly, his voice failing, "Did you make that ugly doll yourself or did your drunk parents make it one night on a binger?" He sneered.

Suddenly, Rey's anger consumed her. Every fear she had ignored…every jab about Ben she had refused to hear, sunk in and stung all at once. Maybe it was all true. He had betrayed her.

She lifted the blaster and pointed it at the officer, her hand trembling with rage.

"Rey, stop," Ben said.


	9. Struggling

~Ben~

Rey sat in silence piloting her ship. They hadn't spoken since she had wheeled on him with the blaster still in her hand. In the end, she hadn't shot the man, electing instead to huff in anger and walk away. The Resistance must have been evacuating, he assumed, because nobody had stopped her as she ran to her ship. It was awkward following her through the Force but Ben had managed.

Now they sat in stony silence while she flew, he wasn't sure where. The look on her face told him it was better if he didn't ask, just yet, anyway. He needed to tell her so many things but he could sense her anger simmering below the surface from across the galaxy and he was afraid she would shut the bridge between them if he pressed his luck.

After what felt like an eternity, Ben heard Rey give a small sniff, he watched her face carefully. A blink produced a tear that rolled unheeded down the curve of her round cheek. Ben's heart was splitting into millions of pieces as he knelt on the floor beside her, watching her suffering so quietly.

"Rey," he whispered, "Please, tell me what happened."

She shook her head silently, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

Ben sighed, sparing a look at the panel beside him to monitor the First Order fleet.

"I need you to tell me where you are," he said quietly, "I think Hux is in the beginning stages of a coup, I can't keep you safe from across the galaxy."

Finally, she broke her stony silence, "How can I trust you?"

Ben's eyes widened, "What?" Fear gripped his chest.

"I stuck my neck out for you, I told all of my friends…everybody I know in the whole galaxy, that you were a changed man and we could trust you," she shook her head. "They all told me I was wrong, and I was being fooled by a master manipulator, a killer who wasn't capable of loving anybody."

Ben felt sick hearing her words, if only he could have kept her from leaving. He knew people thought of him that way, but hearing Rey say it hurt him deep in his soul.

"I'm sorry," he said barely above a whisper, tears flooding his own eyes. His jaw clinched in an effort to maintain control, his body was beginning to shake with the effort.

"Oh no, that's not the worst of it, don't start apologizing yet," she fought against the sob in her throat, threatening to burst forth. "I insisted they were wrong, that it wasn't a trick…but as you already know, it was." Her voice crept upward, bordering on a shout, "Right as I was done saying that, your men landed just beside the base."

"No, they weren't my men," he said quietly.

"Oh really, Mister Supreme Leader, whose were they?" she spat back at him.

He swallowed slowly, "They were sent by Hux."

Ben searched her eyes, longing for the love he had seen there only the day before. Everything inside him ached to see her hatred for him again, longing to tug her into his arms and cradle her against him.

She had different thoughts though.

Rey reached for him with both hands and shoved him away with a sob. Ben moved back, his heart breaking inside his chest. Her rage didn't scare him, he knew rage well enough. It only made him love her more. She was hurting, and she was all that mattered to him.

Ben stood to his feet, expecting her to ignore him then, but instead she rose to her feet as well. He met her eyes; he could feel the tears welling up in his own eyes.

"You lied to me," she whispered.

Ben did reach for her then, placing a hand on each of her shoulders.

"Don't touch me," she said with venom in her voice, and at the same time swatting his arms away from her.

"I never lied to you, Rey," Ben said softly, wishing she would calm down enough for him to explain.

"He saw the doll! The stupid doll I gave you because I thought…It doesn't matter anymore what I thought. He knew everything, that disgusting creature. I'm sure you all had a good laugh about the 'scrapper girl.'" She covered her face in her hands in a useless attempt to hide her tears.

"I trusted you and you betrayed me," she cried.

Ben winced at her words. Just as fast as she had exploded though, she dissolved into sobs.

He reached for her again, capturing her in his arms, "I need you to listen to me, it's important, please."

Rey reached to wipe the tears off her cheeks with her sleeve.

"What?" she asked bitterly.

"Hux is still looking for you, he will be sending more ships, if the crew that followed you realized they found a Resistance base, they would have signaled before they landed. You need to get out of there." Ben explained, daring to wipe her wet cheek with his thumb in order to clear a tear away.

"Wouldn't he just track me with the tracker on this ship?" she asked, lips slightly perched.

"There is no tracker on the ship. They followed you from the hanger," he answered.

"On Coruscant?" she asked, a small light turning on somewhere inside her as missing pieces started falling in place.

Ben nodded, "Where are you?"

She looked up at him suspiciously at that.

He sighed and tilted his head closer to her, "Rey, it's me." He pulled one of her hands to his lips.

"The doll…" she shook her head.

Ben took a breath, "Hux was watching us, he searched my ship before you left. He had you followed, by the time I realized, he had the doll, everything."

Rey watched his eyes carefully, searching his feelings in the Force.

"How can you hide your feelings from me?" She whispered.

His eyes widened, "I'm don't. I'm an open book to you."

"But how did Snoke not realize your deception?" She asked.

"He saw my feelings accurately, but he didn't realize who my enemy was in that moment, once everything had changed," Ben answered but stopped suddenly when Rey reached for him, circling her arms around his waist. He embraced her carefully, tracing his hands up her arms and around her back, afraid that if he moved too quickly she would push him away again.

But he couldn't hold out for long, a second later he was holding her close against him and kissing her hair.

"I love you, I'm so sorry," he whispered, "I should have done better, I should have protected you." He pulled her tighter still.

"The Resistance will never trust me now," she whispered.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, surprised that he really did feel badly that her friends hadn't believed her. Though he still didn't care for them, they meant something to her, and that was enough.

"They will see, eventually, as things are beginning to change," he said.

Rey snuggled closer into his shoulder, he could sense her frustration. It wasn't the same as really being together. He couldn't feel her essence around him in the Force or her warmth seeping into him when they touched.

She pulled away, defeated, "It's not right, I need more of you." She looked at him, frustrated tears welling up in her eyes.

Ben took her hand in his, "I'll come to you, sweetheart, but I need you to tell me where you are."

She nodded finally, "Ok," she said, wiping the unshed tears away with one hand, but keeping one hand safely in his. 


	10. Harmony

~Rey~

Rey watched as Ben landed his command shuttle across the Naboo flight dock. She stood, leaning against her own ship, in part because she was feeling a bit lazy, and partially because it provided good cover from several angles and she didn't feel up to meeting new people just then.

Rey waited until the gangplank was lowered completely before she began her approach. She walked quickly but with a casual gait that would not draw attention from the few people mulling around. Ben was just emerging from the ship's exhaust cloud as her foot touched the ramp.

All sense of "casual" was lost when she saw him though. She cleared the rest of the gangplank in three fast strides as she closed the distance between them.

He pulled her into his arms in a natural, effortless motion that sent her pulse soaring.

"Are you alright?" He whispered against her hair, tucking her into his chest.

She nodded, too overcome with the essence of him enveloping her to answer out loud. His warmth surrounded her and she reveled in the feeling of safety his embrace always gave her.

He pulled her with him, back into his shuttle.

"Rey," he whispered once they were inside, "Are you sure you're alright?" he held her out from him, looking her up and down, verifying her words as she assured him that she was fine.

She escaped his grasp and snuggled close to him again, not waiting for him to finish his examination.

"You should have let me look at you, is that a cut on your hand?" he said lifting her hand for closer inspection but she tugged it away, instead looping it around his neck and letting his hair curl around her fingers.

"What happened with Hux?" she asked, trying to ignore the fear that kept gnawing at the back of her mind.

Ben sighed, "He was not fond of my ideas for his military."

"Is it really his?" she asked, thinking of Finn, in spite of everything that had passed between them, she knew he would want the other troopers set free. He would want them to return to their homes, or at least be allowed to make new homes.

"He thinks it's his military," Ben mumbled, "Rey, this could be a long road. Things may not go well for me."

Rey looked into his eyes, the familiar knot of fear growing in her stomach once again.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm going to make sure this war ends and you are safe," he said quietly, his voice low.

Something about the way he said the words only sent more fear tingling up her spine, "What are you saying?"

"Hux may try to make an example out of me, in order to preserve his army. It's a calculation I'm sure he's working on right now, the tide of public opinion is on my side. My plans were well received." He paused and smiled softly; Rey knew he was thinking of the reception to his speech on Coruscant, but also, maybe he was thinking more of her reaction to it. She blushed at the memory.

"But," Ben continued, "If he can act fast enough he might be able to quell the movement before it grows out of its infancy. Making an example out of a leader gone rogue, could seem like a good option to Hux."

"What do we do?" Rey asked, the fear creeping into her eyes, something that Ben didn't miss.

"Rey, I'm going to keep you safe. I'll protect you even if it means my life," he said with steely determination.

"No, we can do this together," she pleaded.

His eyes broke away then, she could sense the determination in him and it scared her even more, "I'm working on preparing a safe place for you to wait while this all blows over."

She knew very well that nothing was going to "blow over."

"Ben, let me help you," she whispered.

He shook his head, "I can't risk you getting hurt. I may not be able to do what needs to be done if I am preoccupied worrying about you."

Rey pulled closer to him again, "I'm so sorry I didn't trust you," she said quietly into his ear, the short, rough stubble on his cheek bristling against her face.

"No, sweetheart," he pulled her away, frustrating her all over again.

"I know that I failed you plenty of times, and you had every right to question…you had every reason not to trust me," he pressed his lips together and popped his jaw to the side once, "Don't ever apologize to me for that. I don't deserve your trust."

Rey stood completely still, watching him silently for a long moment, even after he began to grow uncomfortable under her gaze. She could feel his remorse and guilt so strongly it made tears spring into her own eyes.

At last, she lifted her hand to his face, her thumb tracing his chin a few times, "What my friends said about you might have been true at one time, but not anymore." She shook her head, "You're a good man, Ben Solo."

He exhaled suddenly and reached for her, pulling her into a tight embrace and pressing his lips against hers.

His kiss was desperate and filled with longing and urgency. Rey was losing herself in the moment when an insistent feeling of darkness settled suddenly around her, demanding attention, refusing to be ignored. She could tell instantly that he felt it too. It was in the Force.

He pulled away enough to look into her eyes, "You feel it, don't you?"

Rey nodded silently and moved toward the gangplank to look outside, Ben following just behind her.

"Be careful," he said, reaching for her just as she reached the bottom of the gangplank, his arm looping around her.

Suddenly, his body went ridged as the arm that circled her waist tightened and pulled her unceremoniously to his side while his other arm shot straight out, fingers splayed. His whole body was tense and his eyes were focused. Rey followed his gaze frantically.

A blaster bolt hung in the air a few meters from where she had been standing. She gasped and began scrambling away instinctively.

In the distance, she could see Hux lowering his blaster with a sly, amused smile on his face, "Ahh, the local child from Coruscant, I presume?" he took a few steps closer to them.

"What do we do?" She asked Ben through the Force, speaking directly into his mind.

"Follow my lead," he answered, "Slip away when I distract them."

Rey felt dizzy hearing his deep voice in her own head; she made a note not speak to him that way often as it was extremely distracting.

She carefully inched closer to him again and reached for his hand, she found it likewise grasping for hers.

"Don't be scared," he said under his breath, his lips barely moving, his eyes never leaving Hux and the approaching troopers in the distance, "I won't let them hurt you."

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw a star destroyer dropping out of hyperspace into the sky above them. Shuttles immediately launched, bringing more troops to the ground.

Ben's palm was sweating against hers. Nothing was ready, she knew this wasn't how he was planning for this to go.

"Ben," Rey said quietly through the Force once more, "I need to you know something." It wasn't the right time, she knew, but it was beginning to look like it might be the only time.

He looked at her, his mouth working against his emotions, a small pout forming against his will.

"I love you," she whispered.

He closed his eyes for a second in a slow exhale, as if relief were washing over him in a tidal wave. He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers softly while turning his eyes back to the formation of soldiers facing them, "I love you too, sweetheart, I always have."

Then he pushed his lightsaber into her hand decisively.

"No, Ben," she began, but he was already breaking into a powerful run toward the troopers, without a weapon.

"Move out of the way of the blaster bolt," he said through the Force as he ran, "I won't be able to hold it if I get too distracted."

Rey ignited the lightsaber and closed the distance between her and the suspended bolt just as she heard shots firing from blasters toward Ben.

"I have a better idea," she murmured.

She sliced into the shot, sending it soaring directly toward Hux's head. He was ready for her though and awkwardly dodged it, losing all sense of finesse but recovering quickly enough. He brushed his tunic down, indignantly staring at her.

Rey got a small sense of satisfaction watching his eyes widen when he saw her burst into a run toward him, lightsaber drawn.


	11. Battle

~Ben~

The storm troopers had little connection to the Force, so the first few rows were easily swept back using a Force push. There were far too many to control using the Force though, and they were already positioned with their weapons firing.

Ben knew he needed to draw their fire to allow Rey a chance to escape. He was planning to sweep around in an arc toward Hux. So, it was with alarmed frustration that he realized that instead of retreating, Rey was charging toward Hux with Ben's own lightsaber blazing in front of her.

The move required him to change his strategy, immediately. With a strong pull in the Force, he reached for Hux and threw him off his balance, bringing him to the ground along with the troopers guarding him. Rey slowed her pace, slightly confused. She looked to Ben in the chaos.

"Why didn't you run?" He asked her through the Force as he began bolting toward her.

"You needed help," she answered simply, on pace again to intercept Hux before Ben reached him.

"Get out of here," Ben ordered her, thinking the words in his deepest, most forceful tone.

"No," she responded, quite matter-of-fact, apparently unaffected by his bluster.

Ben felt frustration and admiration for her bravery all at once.

He watched her slide in to strike at Hux but the troopers to his side were already pulling themselves to their feet and firing at her. She dodged them handily but missed her target in Hux, the coward was scrambling to hide behind the troopers.

Just then, a shout sounded from somewhere behind Ben. A group of resistance rebels were charging full speed out of the hanger and the woods behind it.

He looked at Rey, wondering if she had known they were planning an ambush, but she seemed as surprised as he was.

"Fall back!" Hux shouted, stumbling back farther, grabbing hold of a trooper beside him for balance.

Ben kept running, not stopping until he was by Rey's side.

The troopers began retreating away from them.

"Why is Hux doing this?" Rey asked quietly, as the fighting died out around them.

Ben looked up, another star destroyer had just dropped out of hyperspace above them. Ben took a deep breath, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Rey took his hand, curling her smaller fingers around his. Hux and his troopers cleared the area faster than Ben would have assumed possible.

"Run," he told Rey urgently.

"What?" she asked, still confused.

He began tugging her back, looking for cover, frantically motioning to the rebels still running out from their hiding places.

"Run!" he shouted.

The start destroyer's weapons were powering up. The beam of the ion cannon was hurtling toward them.

~Rey~

"Ben," Rey cried, looking up and seeing the red beam streaking the sky. She froze in place, reaching for Ben and pulling herself close to him.

It was the end, and there was only one person she wanted to be with. But he didn't wrap his arms around her as she expected.

Ben's body was tense and his attention was trained on the red light of the ion cannon. He raised his hands up, his fingers spread wide. She could feel his power in the Force, drawing into a barrier around the beam.

"Run," his voice was little more than a grunt.

"Ben," she begged, as if there were time for him to come with them.

There wasn't.

He was already holding the beam in place, caught somewhere in the atmosphere above them.

"Rey, run," he whispered, his voice lost inside him somewhere as every ounce of strength was pushed into the effort to hold the weapon's power, "I love you."

Rey felt her feet start running, toward the rebels, toward safety. She didn't want to leave him but she did as he asked, knowing it was what he wanted.

She didn't stop until she was hidden under the cleft of some boulders. She slid into safety and turned to watch him in one movement. Ben was beginning to tremble; the ion bolt was slowly coming down, no longer held steady. She could see his arms shaking as he dropped to his knees, the bolt descending one meter at a time while the rest of the rebels scrambled to safety.

"Ben," Rey spoke directly into his mind, "We're safe, sweetheart, take cover."

He let the bolt drop full speed, still holding his hands above him.

Rey stifled a scream as she realized he wasn't running away. The energy from the blast landed directly in his outstretched hands. Instead of incinerating him though, he caught it somehow, absorbing its energy and draining the power. The effort obliterated in remaining strength, though, in a flash of light it was over.

Ben was flat on the ground, laying on his side, completely still.

"No!" Rey screamed, scrambling to her feet. Her hand covered her mouth, searching for his life-force. It was there, but faint. She burst into a run toward him, her legs working mechanically of their own accord while her emotions surged. Panic, fear and pain enveloped her. She heard people shouting at each other to run, the First Order would be back, the destroyer would fire again, but she couldn't stop her legs from running to Ben.

She dropped to the ground beside him gathering him into her arms; his breathing was faint and shallow.

"Rey," Finn gripped her arm, suddenly at her side, "we have to go."

"No," Rey shook her head vehemently, struggling to pull her arm free of his iron grasp.

"I won't let you stay here; the First Order is on their way back. We need to run now!" He was pulling her away but she gripped Ben's shirt with her hands, effectively fixing herself in place.

"I'm not going without him," she shouted, then burying her face in his chest she cried.

"Rey, he wouldn't want you to die here," Finn dropped to his knees and knelt beside her, "He'll slow us down, we won't make it."

Rey shook her head gathering Ben's hand in hers and pulling it to her lips, "Everyone always gave up on him, Finn. He was always alone." She let out a sob, "We have to bring him with us. I'm not leaving him."

"He's going to die!" Finn shouted.

Rey winced.

Poe jogged over, "We need to go."

"We can't just abandon Ben here for Hux to drag away, torture, and murder as a political prisoner." She looked at Finn and Poe, "Please, help me. He just saved all of our lives!"

"Alright," Finn nodded to Poe, resignation and frustration filling his voice.


	12. The Falcon

~Rey~

The Millennium Falcon felt cold to Rey as she sat on the thin carpet floor of the hold. Finn and Poe were in the cockpit with Chewie piloting and debating the appropriate course of action. But Ben lay on the narrow bench beside her. His body was haphazardly fit into the small space. The guys hadn't been quite as careful with him as she would have hoped but she was grateful they had helped her carry him in at all. There was obviously pent up anger there, and not without cause, she reminded herself.

Ben's hair had fallen across his still face, his features perfectly relaxed in his unconscious state. She tucked a lock of his dark curls behind his ear. Rey had never seen him so peaceful; his face looked younger when it was free from the pain he always seemed to carry. Still, she felt the urgency growing inside her. She knew he had absorbed the energy of the blast through the Force, contained it somehow. But his body had still paid a high price, and though she could feel his presence as a beacon in the Force it seemed to be growing weaker as each minute passed.

She moved to sit on the edge of the bench, beside him, pulling one of his hands into hers.

"Ben," she whispered, "I need you to come back to me."

He didn't make a move of any kind; the only sound was the humming of the ships engines pulsing into her feet from the floor.

She pulled closer to him, where he lay and reached for him through the Force. She knew he had somehow infused her with his life force in the interrogation room after she had passed out, but she wasn't sure how he had done it.

"Show me what to do," she spoke directly into his thoughts as she had on the battlefield.

There was no reply but she felt a connection, she knew he could hear her in a way that she hadn't when she had spoken out loud.

She continued to speak to him, urging him to wakefulness. She called on the Force to transfer her energy to his still from and waited silently, motionless.

Suddenly, the beacon of his light in the Force brightened a bit.

"Ben," Rey whispered, pulling herself up to look into his face.

Something had changed there as well, it wasn't the peaceful, restful look that make Rey's anxiety rise any longer. His muscles were tensing and his eyes were moving behind his eyelids.

"Rey, stop," he spoke directly into her mind.

"Ben!" she said allowed, but then remembering he may not be able to hear her, she continued silently, "What? What do I stop?"

"Don't transfer your life force to me," his voice was weak, even though he wasn't making a physical effort to speak.

"Why not?" she asked.

"It's a mechanism of the dark side, Snoke used it to keep himself alive for centuries beyond his appointed time." He answered.

"I don't care, and besides you aren't taking my life force, I'm giving it to you." She countered, calling on the Force to transfer more of her energy to him.

"Rey, stop," his voice was scolding.

Rey suddenly felt shame burning heat into her cheeks in the empty room with only Ben's still form beside her.

"I can't lose you, Ben," she whispered, allowing the energy transfer to peter out.

"And I can't take your life, I don't want to live that way," he answered.

"But you did it for me," she cried, silently, directly into his thoughts.

She almost felt him smile.

"I've done a lot of things that I would never want you to do," his voice was gentle again.

"Like killing that officer," she responded, but he didn't have to answer, she knew that's why he had stopped her.

She slid down to kneel on the floor, nestled her face into the crook of his neck and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"I need you, I always have," she whispered, her lips touching his neck.

She felt him inhale, his abdomen rising beneath her arm.

He let out a groan, audibly, she realized after first assuming she was still hearing him through the Force.

"Ben?" she asked, pushing herself up to look into his face.

His eyelids fluttered open, revealing his deep, depthless brown eyes.

"You didn't leave me?" he asked.

A tear dropped from Rey's eye and fell to his tunic unheeded.

"How could I leave you?" she whispered.

His mouth curved into a crooked smile, "I've wondered that a few times before."

Rey couldn't stop the involuntary laugh that erupted from somewhere inside her.

"Are you teasing me? You were just unconscious ten seconds ago." Rey admonished.

"Actually," Ben answered, "it's a little hard to breathe just now, if you could…"

Rey gasped, looking down and realizing she was resting so much of her weight on his chest. Willing away the blush in her cheeks she pushed herself up beside him.

"Oh good, he's awake," Finn's said from somewhere behind her, his voice seemed less cheery than the words alone would have implied.

Rey answered without turning to face him, to give the color in her cheeks a moment to fade, "He just woke up."

She smiled softly at Ben, who hadn't yet taken his eyes off her. That realization didn't help the color in her cheeks at all.

"I'll get Poe," Finn said. Rey could hear his receding footsteps.

She started to back away from Ben, thinking maybe a little space would help her calm down but he reached for her, touching her face. The simple touch held her in place.

Ben looked around the hold for the first time, "Is this the Falcon?"

Rey bit her lip but nodded slowly.

Ben's jaw clinched noticeably and he shut his eyes for a moment.

Rey could feel sadness rolling off him into the Force, it was shot through with shadows of guilt.

"He loved you, Ben. He wanted you to come home, to the light." Rey said quietly.

He started to push himself up onto his elbows but Rey thought she saw the color drain from his cheeks a bit with the effort.

"Wait, give it a moment," she said, using her hand to press his shoulder back toward the bench.

He looked at her again, completely different than before, sadness miring his features.

"You deserve better than me," his voice was coarse and deep.

Rey shook her head, "I love you, being with you is all I want. Let me decide what I deserve."

His face melted, and Rey knew in his weakened state he would never be able to stem the tears that were welling in his eyes. Without thinking, she lowered her head to his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist as he turned toward her. He buried his face in her hair and held her tight against him allowing her to comfort him, allowing her to feel his pain in the Force without attempt to hide it, and Rey could sense that for the first time since he was a little boy, he allowed himself to feel loved.


	13. Resistance

Rey and Ben walked into the cockpit of the Falcon. Ben reached up to touch the place where his father’s dice always hung only to find it empty and let his hand drop. Rey caught it in her own small hand without thinking. Her ever growing need to be near him was overwhelming her senses.

Ben cleared his throat softly, a deep, reverberating sound, "We need to eliminate Hux."

Rey heard Finn let out his breath all at once. She glanced back at him, his head gave a slight shake.

Poe was the one to put it in words though, "That's kind of what we have been trying to do..." he let his voice drift but Rey could read the irritation building in the small space.

"Poe's been with the Resistance for a very long time..." She began but was interrupted by Finn.

"He's dedicated his life to taking out people like Hux."

Ben turned to face Finn then, "I'm not saying what you did was ineffective," he paused, blinking a couple times. Rey could sense enough of his feelings to know he was at a loss, the truth was the Resistance had been fairly ineffective. Saying so really wasn't helpful though, and they both knew it.

She squeezed his hand gently. Ben met her eyes.

"But you have me now, I can help," he looked at Finn who barely suppressed an eye roll.

"So, what's the plan?" Finn challenged.

"We take our fight to the capital," Ben paused, "the Supremacy."

"You can get us in," Poe said, it wasn't a question.

Ben nodded, "But we need everything to go right if we want to get back out.

 

* * *

  
Poe said, "We need to split up, Rey and I will sneak around back while you and Finn distract them from the front."

A crude layout of the massive bridge inside the Supremacy was spread on the table in front of the four of them.

Rey nodded slowly. The idea was tactically sound. The plan wasn't air tight, just as good as they would be able to get it. Like Ben had said earlier, everything needed to go right.

"Alright, I'll get my stuff together," Rey nodded and went back into the hold to collect her gear.

Rey looked around the silent space for only a moment before stuffing the few items she needed back into her pack. She moved to return to the others but Ben was standing just behind her she suddenly realized, a solid mass blocking her way.

Rey raised her eyes to look into his, pain was filling the Force around him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, fear was tingling up her spine. Did he know something he wasn't telling the group, something that bothered him about the strategy?

"Why is it always so easy for you?" He voice was hard, sharper than she had heard him in a long time.

"What do mean?" She asked, shrinking away from him a little. He didn't pursue her, just stood silently in place, watching her sadly.

Rey hated the sadness in his eyes, but his voice.

"To leave." He broke eye contact then, running a hand through his hair, "Poe merely suggests splitting up and without bothering to ask if there is another way you agree." He shook his head and turned away from her, "I'm sorry, I know this isn't fair, I-I just.." his voice broke and Rey could see his shoulders drop in defeat.

"It isn't easy," she whispered, "it never was." She moved a little closer then, "But I always do what needs to be done."

"I know, I'm not, not saying you did anything wrong." He shook his head, still facing away from her.

"Ben?" She lifted her hand to his shoulder. His entire hulking frame tensed at her touch.

"But will you ever-" he started to ask but thought better of it.

He turned faster than she would have thought possible, gruffly pulling her into his arms for the quickest of embraces and releasing her before she could even processed what had just happened.

His warmth surrounded her only and instant and he was gone. She could hear his muffled voice through the bulkhead, mixing once again with Finn and Poe's.

Something had changed but she wasn't sure what. With her pack sling over her shoulder, draping across her body she stood at the edge of the room, listening closely to Ben's detailed description of the Supremacy's security features.

The pinging of the cockpit panel broke the meeting. It was time to begin.

Rey's heartbeat quickened, she focused on tamping it down, forcing it into calmness. She tried to meet Ben's eyes but he kept them trained on the view screens ahead of him.

Rey stood at the door of the hold, fingers tingling as they danced over her holster. She could feel Ben standing beside her, dwarfing her with his sheer size. She looked up at him and found him already looking down at her.

“It’s going to be ok,” she said, forcing a smile. 

He bent his head to press a kiss into her hair as if to remind her of the actual, very real danger they were facing and calm her fears with the same action.

“Right,” she sighed.

The ship’s internal comm unit beeped causing Rey to jump. She shook off her frayed nerves and touched the receiver button on the unit.

“It’s Connix,” the speaker intoned, “all units are ordered back to the base immediately.”

Poe skidded into the hold behind them, “No, no, no ma’am, we are embarking on a mission now, as we speak, to the Supremacy.”

“It’s an order, Poe, directly from Commander D’acy.” Connix’ voice betrayed frustration at being questioned. 

“We’re so close, we have a chance, a shot, to take down Hux himself,” Poe argued, pushing past Rey to shout directly into the microphone on the comm unit. 

“Dameron, so help me, you will obey this order or you are out of the Resistance, do I make myself clear?” it was Commander D’acy’s voice now. Poe slammed a fit into the bulkhead. 

“Poe,” Rey whispered.

Poe grunted an answer and raised his hand in a motion that could only indicate he was giving up and stomped off.

“We’re standing down,” Rey spoke into the comm after a brief silence. 

Commander D’acy continued, “We heard you have Kylo Ren on board.”

“We do,” Rey answered, feeling her throat constrict at the words. 

“Excellent, bring the prisoner in for questioning.”

“No, he’s not a-“ but before Rey could formulate a response the comm unit beeped, indicating the call was disconnected.

Rey turned to Ben then shaking her head, “We don’t have to go.”

“Yes, we do,” he whispered softly. 

The Resistance base was little more than an old hanger used for repairing broken planet hoppers but it was abuzz with life when they arrived. 

Five officers sprinted to the gangplank as soon as Rey and Ben descended from the ship. Four instantly surrounded Ben with weapons at the ready and one took hold of Rey’s arm.

“What’s going on?” Rey asked tugging her arm away.

“We have orders to detain you both,” the man answered steadily.

“Why?” Ben asked, his voice deep.

“Because we have reason to believe Rey revealed our location to First Order operatives and compromised the Resistance.” 

The answer came from Lieutenant Connix, who was just immerging from the crowd.

The officer who had hold of Rey’s arm began to pull her away. 

Suddenly, the man froze in place.

“Get your kriffing hands off her,” Ben ordered.

“Ben,” Rey said gently, “it’s ok.”

“I agreed to go along with this charade and be your prisoner, but you will release her or the deal is off,” Ben’s voice was a live wire of barely restrained power ready to explode.

Commander D’acy’s voice sounded from somewhere in the fray, “Release her.” She sprinted closer, “release her, just…don’t let her near any sensitive intelligence.”

The man loosed Rey’s arm.

“Take the Supreme Leader to the prepared cell,” D’acy ordered immediately. 

Rey started to follow as the officers lead Ben away, but D’acy’s gentle hand on her arm stopped her. 

“This is wrong,” Rey pleaded, “He shouldn’t be a prisoner; he saved your lives.”

“After ambushing our last base,” D’acy’s voice was stern.

“Let me go with him,” Rey said, pulling her arm out of D’acy’s grasp. 

“You’ll understand if we don’t trust the two of you together just yet. Let us do this our way, in good time if everything checks out…” she tilted her head slightly as if to finish the thought and turned to walk away without another word. 

A tear escaped Rey’s cheek as she watched Ben’s receding form.

Finn came up beside her, having already found Rose, who circled to her other side and gently looped her arm through Rey’s. 

“Let’s get some food, he’ll be fine,” Rose said gently.

Rey knew they were right but she hated to be away from Ben when she could sense his pain the way she did then. 

Rey settled into the bunk in the lower level officer bunk house. She knew that while officially, she was not a prisoner; two officers had definitely been assigned to keep an eye on her. She tried to ignore their poorly hidden stares as she bore her eyes into the bunk above her. 

Bonding with Ben in the Force wasn’t an option with all the scrutiny, so she felt through the Force until she found his essence within her grasp. 

“Ben,” she whispered silently, speaking directly into his thoughts. 

“Rey,” his low voice echoed into her mind, “are you alright?”

“I’m fine, just trying to get some rest. I wish they would let us be together,” Rey couldn’t keep the sadness from flooding her emotions, she didn’t want him to feel it through the Force but it was useless to try to hide anything from him.

“We’ll be together soon, my love,” he said quietly. “Just rest, I’ll be here if you need me.” Rey reveled in the sound of his voice and turned to her side to fall asleep while listening to the steady sound of his breathing. 


End file.
